Co-Owner

Being a native Vermonter and having grown up on a dairy farm, Craig Newton knows a thing or two about Vermont dairy farming. After receiving a degree in Ag-Business from Vermont Technical College, Craig went on to work as a night shift pellet mill operator in Agway’s Middlebury, VT mill. After fourteen years of working hard behind the scenes in feed manufacturing, Craig began working directly with farmers.

In 1986, Craig and his wife started Feed Commodities, just when the trend of TMR mixers and feeding commodities were gaining popularity. After Feed Commodities took off, Agway came back to Craig and urged him to sell them the company. After doing so, Craig found himself retired and bored. Along came Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition, a company started by two of Craig’s former employees to answer his prayers. Today, Craig has stepped back from the company’s day-to-day operations, but still finds time to do what he likes best—wheeling, dealing, and working with dairy farmers.

Co-Owner, President, & General Manager

Born and raised in Tulare, California, the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, David Santos grew up on a dairy farm, spent his formative years as an active Future Farmer of America, studied Dairy Management and Husbandry at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, and devoted many years to developing his dairy herd, farm, and employee management skills in California, Hawaii, and Vermont. In 1996 he was asked to join Pine Creek Nutrition Service in Turlock, California, where he embarked on another facet of his career in agriculture: dairy nutrition.

Before becoming a founding partner, president, and general manager at Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition, Inc., David honed the nutrition and management skills learned in California at Feed Commodities International in Vergennes, Vermont. As a former director and Vice President of the Vermont Feed Dealers and Manufacturers Association, David worked to give Vermont and New England dairy and agricultural issues support and a more active voice in state government. David, his wife, and their two children reside in Morrisville, Vermont.

Dairy Nutrition Specialist

Having grown up in a small farming community in rural Ireland, Shane is a life-long farmer and adds an international perspective to Phoenix. As a young man, his family immigrated to the United States and is now living the American dream. Shane graduated with a degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Animal Science from the University of Maine, where he helped launch the UMADCOWS (University of Maine’s Agriculture Department Cooperative of Working Students) program. Through this, he was able to introduce the UMaine community to the world of agriculture. This helped grow Shane’s passion, as he loves working with people and helping them with their farms and herd health. Having a Master’s degree in business has also helped him in all aspects of the dairy industry, from breeding to management to nutrition.

In 2014, Shane joined the Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition team, hoping to continue his dedication to helping local farmers and New England’s dairy base. Shane lives in Randolph Center with his wife and daughter.

Dairy Nutrition Specialist

Having served the local dairy farming community since 2002, David has gained a reputation of invaluable commitment and commonsense problem solving, with his dense knowledge of dairy nutrition and farming practices. While earning his B.S. in Animal Science at the University of Vermont, he capitalized on his study abroad experience at the Miner Institute in Chazy, NY to work with the well-known Dr. Charlie Sniffen. During this time, David focused on becoming a dairy nutritionist, leading him to an internship in the field. David spent much of his teenage and college years working on dairy farms in many different capacities.

David is also well-versed in the newest nutrition technology that the industry has to offer, which provides him with some of the best advice and solutions the industry has to offer. These characteristics have provided him with many successful and long-lasting business relationships with his clients. He continues to make time to further his nutrition and technology education every day. David and his wife reside in Beekmantown, NY where they are proud parents of two.

Dairy Nutrition Specialist

Having spent his whole life actively involved in dairy farming as well as studying it, Jon is well-prepared to provide solutions for the challenges of modern day agriculture. Jon grew up on his family’s dairy in Addison County, Vermont, where he developed a passion for dairy farming. This passion eventually lead to a career in nutrition, making him a perfect fit for Phoenix down the road. After earning an associate’s degree in Dairy Farm Management from Vermont Technical College, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Vermont.

Since graduation, Jon has spent two years involved in management on a large dairy, and the remainder of his career in sales and nutrition working with farms in Vermont and New York. In 2009, Jon joined the Phoenix team, and played a major role in developing the client base that makes Phoenix one of the strongest feed and nutrition suppliers in the Northeast. Jon resides in Addison, Vermont with his wife Roxanne and their five children.

Office Manager

After having switched over from her previous job of 18 years to become the office manager at Phoenix, Shannon wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. There was a big learning curve, but with her already vast knowledge of business administration, adapting to the changing dairy nutrition environment was a cinch. Shannon graduated from Burlington’s Champlain College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

Having been married to a dairy farmer for many years, Shannon is familiar with the life style, to say the least. Shannon’s responsibilities include company accounting and payroll, working with the company’s outside accountant, human resources, healthcare, profit-sharing management, and administration and coordination. With her wide variety of duties and skills, Shannon keeps the company running, and running well.

Mill Operations Manager

Raised on a dairy farm in Panton, Vermont, Cory Paquin has spent the last fifteen years working in the dairy feed manufacturing business. He has been with Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition since its inception in 2004 and has been a key individual in the growth and vitality of the company.

Cory has served in many capacities during his tenure: feed manufacturing, quality control, DOT and safety coordinator, and special projects manager (including the construction of our new automated mill). He currently serves as our mill operations manager and also serves on the board of directors for Vermont Truck and Bus. Cory and his family reside in Addison, Vermont.

Quality Control & Safety Coordinator

Jim grew up working on his family’s fifth generation St. Lawrence County dairy farm. After receiving his B.A. from Potsdam College, he managed fertilizer plants in Maine and Vermont. His career shifted to retail farm store management and later, feed mills, before turning to agronomy and nutrition consulting and sales. Jim’s years in the feed industry have provided a broad view and a thorough understanding of dairy farm operations, large and small, throughout Vermont and upstate New York. Through continuing education, he maintains credentials as a Professional Animal Scientist (PAS) and as a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA).

He is a past president and currently serves on the Vermont Feed Dealers and Manufacturers Board of Directors, tasked with improving communication between government agencies and the farm community. Jim and his wife Catherine have two grown daughters, both of whom reside here in Vermont.